TeachersFirst Resources related to Source Reliability/Checking Sources
In an age when information is everywhere and misinformation spreads quickly, knowing how to evaluate a source's reliability is one of the most essential skills students can develop. This collection of resources gives students and teachers practical tools and resources for checking the credibility of websites, articles, images, and other digital content — helping learners move from passive consumers of information to critical, discerning thinkers. Whether used during a research project, a current events discussion, or a media literacy lesson, these resources build the habit of asking the right questions before trusting and sharing information online.
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Be MediaWise lesson 5: How to determine the credibility of a source on social media - PBS News Hour Classroom
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): evaluating sources (54), media literacy (130), social media (64)
In the Classroom
Students can use Mentimeter, reviewed here to share the first word that comes into their mind when they hear social media and reliability. Students can use Google Keep, reviewed here to take notes while working on the lesson. Students can create an online escape room template, reviewed here about reliability and social media.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Evaluating Sources - The Lawerence Hall of Science
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): evaluating sources (54), media literacy (130)
In the Classroom
Students can create their own sorting cards using Canva for Education, reviewed here. Students can use Baamboozle, reviewed here to create a game having students show their understanding of reliable sources. When finished with the activity, ask students to use Story Map, reviewed here to create an infographic sharing how to evaluate reliable sources.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Information Literacy Toolkit - University of Texas Libraries
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): evaluating sources (54), media literacy (130)
In the Classroom
When sharing the questions from the lesson, students can view them on Padlet, reviewed here. Students can answer the questions via Google Forms, reviewed here. To complete the group activity, students can collaborate using Google Slides, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Evaluating Sources - Cathy Costello
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): digital citizenship (110), evaluating sources (54), media literacy (130)
In the Classroom
Students can create a game using Blooket, reviewed here teaching others how to evaluate sources. Students can create an infographic with information on identifying credible sources using MindMeister, reviewed here. Students can create a podcast teaching about reliable sources using Adobe Podcast, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teaching Students How to Identify Credible Sources - edutopia
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): evaluating sources (54), Research (91)
In the Classroom
Create an interactive game using Kahoot!, reviewed here or Wayground (formerly Quizizz), reviewed here to use the CRAAP model to evaluate sources. Students can create an infographic showcasing the model using Infographics Presentation Templates, reviewed here. Students can use Google Keep, reviewed here to create a list of reliable sources.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Create Credibility Detectives in Your Classroom - AVID
Grades
4 to 10tag(s): digital literacy (38), evaluating sources (54), Research (91)
In the Classroom
Give students a short research question. Before using any information, they can evaluate their source using Author, Bias, and Content, and write one or two sentences explaining why the source is trustworthy. Have students design a badge or poster using Adobe Creative Cloud Express, reviewed here showing the rules for being a credibility detective. Students can act as "credibility detectives" and examine a website or article using the ABCs strategy. They can identify the author, assess potential bias, and verify the content for factual accuracy before deciding the trustworthiness of a source.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Evaluating Credibility of Sources - Creator Unknown
Grades
4 to 8tag(s): digital literacy (38), evaluating sources (54), media literacy (130), Research (91)
In the Classroom
Give students two sources about the same topic, one strong and one weak. Students can use the lesson questions to compare the sources and decide which one is more credible. Have students design a poster using DesignCap Poster Creator, reviewed here showing rules for choosing good sources. Have students use the lesson's evaluation criteria to create or complete a checklist for evaluating sources. They can apply the checklist to a new article or website to determine if it is reliable and appropriate for research.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Gathering Information and Evaluating Resources - Britannica Education
Grades
3 to 5tag(s): evaluating sources (54)
In the Classroom
Have students pretend to be detectives investigating information. Give each group a short article or webpage. They can look for clues that show if the source is strong or weak. As a class, build a checklist of what makes a source trustworthy (author, facts, date, evidence, etc.). Give students a mix of books, articles, websites, and images. Have them sort the sources into categories such as primary/secondary, reliable/unreliable, or digital/print.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Evaluating & Choosing Sources - TeacherTube
Grades
4 to 7tag(s): evaluating sources (54)
In the Classroom
Give students a short, fake, or weak source with problems (no author, no date, opinions, incorrect facts). Have students work in groups to improve the source by adding details that would make it more reliable. Give students a simple research question, have them find two sources, and use the ideas from the video to decide which source is better. Show students screenshots of websites or articles. Students can give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to show whether the source looks trustworthy, then explain why by checking the author, date, and facts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Evaluate Sources - University of South Carolina
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): bias (33), evaluating sources (54)
In the Classroom
Give students several websites about the same topic, including one reliable source and one questionable source. Have students use the evaluation guidelines (author, date, bias, evidence, purpose) to decide which source is most trustworthy. Prepare cards with short descriptions of sources (blog post, news article, encyclopedia entry, advertisement, social media post, academic article). Have students sort the cards into categories such as reliable, questionable, or not appropriate for research and justify their choices using the evaluation checklist. Show students an article or website with clear bias and have them highlight words or phrases that show opinion, exaggeration, or one-sided information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Digital Literacy Lessons - Learning for Justice
Grades
K to 12tag(s): digital literacy (38), internet safety (121), social media (64)
In the Classroom
Have younger students participate in a sorting activity to distinguish between information that is okay to share online and information that should remain private, using images or scenarios. Collaboratively create a classroom "Digital Civility Contract" where students agree on guidelines for respectful online interactions. Engage students by having them compare different online news sources to determine credibility. Have students evaluate the author, bias, evidence, and design using a checklist, then present their findings in a short report using Visme, reviewed here or a poster.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Big Fib Podcast - Benjamin Strouse, Chris Tarry & David Kreizman
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): game based learning (320), media literacy (130), podcasts (173)
In the Classroom
Share this podcast as a flipped learning experience or include it as part of a listening center during station rotation activities on evaluating information shared by different sources. Take advantage of free teaching materials such as the Listening Guide to provide students with focus while listening and as a resource for documenting their evaluation process. After listening to and evaluating several episodes of the podcast, encourage students to write and produce a podcast in a similar style. After creating storyboards and writing their script, use a podcast creation tool such as Castbox Creator Studio, reviewed here to record and share your podcasts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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RumorGuard - News Literacy Project
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): digital citizenship (110), evaluating sources (54), internet safety (121), journalism (74), media literacy (130), news (223), Online Learning (34), Research (91)
In the Classroom
Share RumorGuard with students during digital citizenship and online safety lessons to help students understand how misinformation is shared and provide them with tools for analyzing online information. Engage students in your lessons using RumorGuard by choosing different topics on this page and news stories, then ask students to determine if the information is real or fake. Extend and enhance learning by asking students to become fact-checkers of any online information using the model found on Rumor Guard. Create a template on Google Slides, reviewed here, or Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here, modeling the process used on RumorGuard to determine the authenticity of the information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Be MediaWise - Lessons to Teach Media Literacy - PBS Learning Media
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): critical thinking (189), media literacy (130), social media (64)
In the Classroom
Teach your middle and high school students how to critically evaluate information with each video's downloadable lesson plans, handouts, and slide decks. Lessons include evaluating actual posts on social media, video, and news sites. Create deeper understanding and extend learning by having your students create "social media" posts using tools such as Canva for Education, reviewed here, or Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, then, evaluate classmates' work.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Deceptive Detective - Common Sense
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): bias (33), computers (114), evaluating sources (54), internet safety (121), journalism (74), media literacy (130), news (223), social media (64), STEM (380)
In the Classroom
Print this poster to display in your classroom or computer lab after discussing the information with your students. Use Padlet, reviewed here, to break down the questions found on the poster and share student findings. For example, begin by evaluating a website together as a class. Create a column on your Padlet for each question, then add students' responses in the appropriate column. As students become proficient at evaluating online resources, ask them to use Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, to create infographics sharing the validity of websites and online news resources based upon the questions found on the Deceptive Detective poster. Extend learning by asking students to become the instructor through the use of podcasts. Use Buzzsprout, reviewed here, to create bi-weekly or monthly student-created podcasts sharing tips for evaluating websites, how to recognize fake news sources or suggestions for useful resources for student use.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teachers' Guide to Cranky Uncle - John Cook
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (133), digital citizenship (110), evaluating sources (54), game based learning (320), internet safety (121), media literacy (130), social media (64)
In the Classroom
Add this game to your toolkit of lessons and activities when teaching Internet safety and media literacy skills. The Teachers' Guide already includes many ideas on integrating the game into classroom lessons, as well as using technology to enhance and extend learning. Use these ideas as a starting point to build student engagement and help them understand the real-world applications for the information found in the game. For example, use the suggested Padlet, reviewed here, activity to compile quiz questions as suggested in Activity 5. After completing that activity, have students create their own videos, fake social media posts, or news articles that contain misinformation and create quiz questions for their peers to complete. Adobe Express for Education, reviewed here, is an excellent tool for students to use when creating websites, flyers, and infographics. As a final project, and to extend learning, have students share what they learned with others by producing podcasts using Buzzsprout, reviewed here, or digital books for younger students using Book Creator, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NewsFeed Defenders - FactCheck.org
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): evaluating sources (54), journalism (74), media literacy (130), news (223)
In the Classroom
Include the NewsFeed Defenders game and lesson as part of your broader unit of teaching about online safety and media literacy. Engage studets by using Padlet, reviewed here, to share materials. Include links to videos, articles, and other materials for students to access. Ask them to add comments sharing their insights and information learned. Help students identify online disinformation by collaborating with Fiskkit, reviewed here. Change out paper and pen by sharing the URL of an article to discuss within Fiskkit, then have students highlight any area to discuss the information within the article. Enhance learning by encouraging students to teach others about media literacy using an online book tool like Book Creator, reviewed here. Book Creator can be used for a variety of assignments in any classroom that is integrating technology as an enhancement, modification, or transformation. Have students design and share a book that includes tips for spotting disinformation or bias using specific examples, including text, videos, and images, along with examples of factual, non-biased information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Checkology - The News Literacy Project
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): journalism (74), news (223), newspapers (87), social media (64)
In the Classroom
Integrate these free lessons with your other activities when teaching students how to evaluate and judge online information and other news sources. Consider assigning lessons for students to complete on their own, then come together as a class to discuss the content. Add a link to a lesson on a Padlet, reviewed here, and share with students. Ask them to add comments onto the Padlet including links to additional examples of the featured topic. Ask students to compare and contrast information from two sources using a Venn Diagram. Create a Venn Diagram using resources found at Class Tools, reviewed here. Challenge students to become the reporter and enhance their learning by writing their own news article to post as a blog at Edublog, reviewed here. Ask them to include some misinformation within their blog, and then have other class members find and respond to the shared content. Extend learning by having students become the teacher and share their tips and tricks for evaluating news and creating a digital book for other students using Book Creator, reviewed here. Ask them to include videos sharing their tips, written examples of misinformation, and add their Venn diagram to demonstrate different ways facts are used in articles to mislead readers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Media Literacy Clearinghouse - Frank W Baker
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): advertising (24), evaluating sources (54), journalism (74), media literacy (130)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site as an excellent resource for planning for and teaching about media literacy. Include information from the Clearinghouse using lessons created with Actively Learn, reviewed here. Actively Learn offers tools for creating interactive, critical thinking lessons using materials found on their site and your own while providing you feedback on student responses and learning. As you continue with lessons on media literacy, collaborate with students on how to interpret online information using Fiskkit, reviewed here. Use Fiskkit to replace paper and pencil by sharing the URL of online articles and have students highlight and comment on any areas. Use this in lessons asking students to identify false or misleading information or to highlight areas that provide facts and information to support a claim. As students become familiar with online cues for understanding media, ask them to use Free Online Screen Recorder, reviewed here, to modify classroom technology use by creating a short video tutorial of their own sharing insights and information from an online article.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Engaging Congress - Indiana University
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): branches of government (70), commoncore (63), congress (37), evaluating sources (54), primary sources (146)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free games and materials on this site to use as a supplement to your current resources for teaching history and government. Instead of written notes, strengthen learning by having students use an online tool such as Holt Interactive Graphic Organizers, reviewed here to create diagrams, mind maps, and other visual graphic organizers. To compare and contrast information found in different primary sources, create a Venn Diagram. As students prepare to share their findings and summarize their learning, have them modify their learning by creating infographics using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here to visually represent facts and information. As a final assessment for your unit using these materials, ask students to form teams to debate different sides of the issues presented. Share their debates as a podcast using Spotify for Podcasters, reviewed here. Spotify for Podcasters is a simple-to-use podcasting tool offering several free options for creating, hosting, and sharing podcasts. As an alternative, ask other students redefine their learning and to create multimedia presentations using Sway, reviewed here to share text, videos, images, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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